The Cheetah Girls: Cheetah's Reunited
by LourdesSkyJinx87
Summary: Galleria is stuck in a job she hates but doesn't know how to move forward. After a serious injury, Dorinda worries that she'll lose her career and husband. Chanel and Aqua run a fashion store together but constantly clash on ideas and men. When a tragic accident brings them all together again, will the girls be able to let go of the past and help each other achieve their dreams?
1. Chapter 1: Dream Defered

Chapter One: Dream Deferred

"Closing Time's in 15 minutes Garibaldi, let's get those tables clean."

"Yes Ma'am." Reluctantly Galleria grabbed the spray bottle and dingy gray rag that she kept under the counter register and headed out towards the small dinning room area of Katy's cupcakes. The dinning room had six pink square plastic tables each with four white and polka-dotted chairs, which gave the small quirky specialty store the look and feel of a Barbie doll play set.

Galleria hummed a little as she starting cleaning the tables. Lately there had been a little melody that was stuck in her head and would start playing when she was alone. A few years ago when she would get a new tune stuck in her head she'd write it down quickly in her song book so that she could play with the notes on her keyboard and brainstorm lyrics. But those days were long gone. It had been years since she'd written a song or even played a riff on the piano, the desire to create music was gone.

As a teenager Galleria had belonged to a popular self-made singing group called the Cheetah girls. Besides herself there were three other girls; her best friends Chanel "chuchie" Simmons, Texas native Aquanette "Aqua" Walker, and dancing prodigy Dorinda "Do" Thomas. Together the four of them had formed into a formidable girl group that was destined for stardom. By the time the girls had reached senior year, fame seemed only a reach away. Fresh from winning an international singing contest in Barcelona, Spain, The Cheetah's were flying high and nothing could stop them, or so it seemed. But then Galleria's mother had forced her to take a break from the Cheetah's so she could attend university. Dorothea was adament about her daughter getting an education.

"But mom..." Galleria had whined like a toddler.

"Galleria."Dorothea began. " You promised me last summer that if i let you go to Spain you would focus more on your studies, and against my better judgement I agreed to let you go. It's time for you to leave the singing behind for now and prepare for the real world."  
"I can't leave the girls behind." Galleria protested. "This is our dream. I can't let them down."  
"If they are truly your friends they will understand." Dorothea said calmly "They will support you."

Her mother was wrong.

By the end of her first year in college the Cheetah girls were over. Chanel, Dorinda, and Aqua had spent the spring in India filming a Bollywood movie. Galleria had been hurt when she realized she wasn't invited or that the girls hadn't even bothered to call her to talk about it. When she finally got Chanel on the line to ask about the trip, Chanel acted as if cutting her out of the Cheetah Girls latest gig was no big deal. "Geez, it was just one movie...You need to chill out bubbles." For Galleria however it was a big deal. She was the founder of the group. She'd written all the songs, composed all the music, made sure that they rehearsed regularly when the others didn't want to. How dare they cut her out! So Galleria did the only thing that made sense to her. She quit. This wasn't her first time quitting the group, so naturally no one believed her at first. Chanel and the other girls just figured she was being dramatic, and that if they gave her time she come back around.

She didn't.

"Garibaldi! Almost done with those tables?"

Galleria snapped out of the past. Time to focus on the future. Her future. A future she had never planned. Working eight to twelve-hour days, serving up cupcakes, cleaning bathrooms and tables wasn't apart of the plan she had carefully crafted seven years ago. She was supposed to be playing sold out concerts, winning Grammy's, and jet setting all across the world. Why had her life become so drastically different from the one she dreamed of?


	2. Chapter 2: Dancing Nightmare

"Ready?"

Dorinda nodded in her husband Joaquin's direction. The knots that were forming inside her stomach prevented her from saying actual words. Even though she and Joaquin had danced together for years, the slightly nauseating mix of fear and excitement still stirred up inside her before each performance, something that she desperately hoped she'd outgrow.

She and Joaquin would be dancing a fun freestyle dance, on the popular TV show "America can dance!". Dorinda and Joaquin owned a small dance studio in Manhattan where they taught affordable dance lessons to children and adults. They made a decent amount of money, but some months were better than others, the income flucuated quite drastically at times, causing a few financial difficulties. Which in time led them to take on guest spot roles on all the latest amateur dancing competitions who paid quite handsomely to be able to feature award-winning dancers like them.

"Excuse me." A stagehand had come over to talk to them. "You guys are up next, go on out to the floor please."

Joaquin took her hand and together they made their way out on the brightly lit ballroom stage floor.

"Annnnnd now." The announcer drawled for dramatic effect. "Dancing a freestyle Tango here's Dorinda and Joaquin!"

The crowd cheered as the opening strains of Shakira's "Objection Tango" began.

The dance routine started with Dorinda moving sensuously, while keeping her body close to Joaquin's, creating an effortless swan-like pose that she held for six seconds before the tempo kicked up to a fast paced rock 'n' roll tango.

Gliding across the floor Dorinda felt unstoppable. The music was flowing deep inside her, allowing her to dance with passion and abandon. As a dancer she knew there was a fine line between letting the music move you and allowing it to control you. Whenever Dorinda surrendered to the music her dancing became more daring, she'd improvise moves on the spot and didn't follow the choreography completely.

By the end of second verse Dorinda became completely unhinged when she turned a backwards split into a backwards handstand cart-wheel.

Joaquin shot her a confused look. What was she doing? He wondered as her watched her shimmy and shake. Why was she messing with the routine?

Hopping to get her back on track he quickly grabbed Dorinda by the waist giving her a hard spin, before dipping her low for a few seconds, then bringing her up again to lean into his chest. "Are you okay?"he asked in a whisper that fell against her cheek as she swiveled away from his side.

She smiled at him, as she leaped forward, then back towards him, spinning in complicated pirouette like movements. As she twirled she was picking up speed way to fast, that she ended up hurtling past him and towards the edge of stage. Joaquin raced toward her, but he was too late to prevent Dorinda from falling off the edge.

Crack! Dorinda heard her leg snap before she felt the pain. She had landed flat on her back with her leg folded awkwardly behind her. "owwwww!" Her scream echoed through the now silent room, as everyone rushed towards her.

"Quick! Somebody call the paramedics. Hurry!" One of the producers shouted.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"Oh that doesn't look so good."

"Baby can you hear me? Baby, speak to me." Joaquin pleaded as all four of the video cameras zoomed in on her sprawled out on the floor.

Great...She thought. Just great.


	3. Chapter 3: Blocked

Aqua sat alone at her drafting table working on her latest designs for the reopening of "Spots" the boutique she owned with Chanel in Soho. Spot's would be hosting a massive relaunch party in a few weeks in honor of it's first year anniversary, featuring new exclusive clothing designed by Aqua. For any designer this was a dream come true, for Aqua it was becoming a nightmare. The pressure was getting to her for sure, it would be her first real fashion collection, something that she dreamed of doing for years, but now she wasn't sure if she would be able to complete it. Time was running out, she had to get this done tonight!

Aqua tapped her pencil against her head lightly determined to create a least one acceptable drawing that night. Even if it took all night! Closing her eyes tight, she tried to imagine what the show stopper dress would be.

"Aaaaqua!" Chanel sang out interrupting Aqua's thoughts, as she entered the apartment. "You'll never guess what I did today!"

Aqua rolled her eyes. She knew exactly what Chanel had been up to, without even looking. Chanel was an extreme shopaholic who couldn't pass up any sale regardless of whether she needed it or not.

"What did you buy?"

"I didn't buy anything today, I did something even better."

Aqua got up from the table convinced that she was lying, Chanel never came home empty-handed.

"Okay, where did you hide the bags this time?" Aqua mocked playfully as she pretended to search for hidden shopping bags. "Went on another Prada spree?"

Chanel smiled. "Nope I didn't buy anything today except for lunch and a manicure."

"So if you didn't buy anything, what's up?" Aqua asked as she watched Chanel plop down on their chocolate-brown leather sectional, and take off her painful looking italian seven-inch heels.

"I know how hard you've been working on the designs for the relaunch." Chanel began. "And I just realized how difficult it must be to come up with an entire fashion collection all by yourself, so I hired two other people to help you get the job done."

"What do you mean you hired people to help me? Like what interns or something?"

Chanel leaned back in her seat, obviously pleased with herself. "No not interns, designers, real live designers! These girls are extremely talented and well-known in the fashion circuit.

"So you hired two new people behind my back to replace me?"

"Replace you? Aqua you are my best friend why would I replace you? I thought you could use the help."

"Yeah, so you could help me right out the door."Aqua said sarcastically. "Why else would you hire people behind my back to do my job."

"I didn't hire them behind your back!"

"Yes you did! You could have just asked me point-blank, instead of being sneaky about it.

"Come on Aqua! Are you seriously accusing me of trying to push you out of the company we built together?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Aqua countered rising to her feet. "I'm not moving fast enough for you, so go ahead and replace me. I'm obviously not good enough not to design for my store!"

Chanel leapt up from her spot on the couch, and walked over to Aqua's workstation. "Aqua the launch is in less than a month away, and I have not seen one finished sketch." She said as she opened up Aqua's sketch pad.

"Put that down Chanel!"

"Why?" Chanel started flipping through the pages. "I want to see what you've been working on."

"Put my sketch book down!" Aqua screamed infuriated by the way Chanel was getting under her skin.

" You've had almost six months and this is all you have to show for it? Chanel's voice began to rise loudly. "Every page is scribbled and crossed out. There is no collection is there?"

Chanel stood up and flung Aqua's sketch book into the waste basket next to the desk. "You've been lying to me this whole time. There is nothing in this book but garbage."

Aqua saw red. Her temper threatened to blaze out of control. In her mind she could see herself slapping that smirk right of Chanel's face. Of course she knew exactly how that would end.

The apartment they lived in had a strict no police policy. If the cops were called, no matter what the situation; drugs, loud noises, partying, or fighting, the landlord would evict them. Fighting with Chanel would put them both out on the street.

"You're right Chanel." Aqua said grabbing her purse and keys that she had thrown on the couch earlier in haste. "I'm an untalented liar who is in way over her head!"

Chanel winced as Aqua slammed the door as hard as she could.


End file.
